Cincinnati city officials announced Monday that the riverfront freight train track has been officially abandoned, according to e-mail provided to The Cincinnati Enquirer.

Richard Cline, a senior engineer with the city, announced through an electronic message that Norfolk Southern had formally notified the Surface Transportation Board in Washington, D.C., that the track south of Mehring Way has been abandoned.

That means freight rail traffic will never again travel through Sawyer Point, Yeatman's Cove and across the central riverfront, Mr. Cline wrote.

The city worked for almost four years to get the line abandoned. Hamilton County officials wanted the line abandoned, too, because it ran through the footprint of the new Bengals stadium.

City council meetings canceled until new year
Cincinnati City Council has canceled its weekly meetings on Wednesday and Dec. 30 because of the upcoming holidays. In addition, all legislative committee meetings have been canceled.

Regular meetings will resume the week of Jan. 4 at City Hall, 801 Plum St.

For more information about meetings, call the clerk of council at 352-3246.

West End man, 26, shot in stomach
A 26-year-old West End man was undergoing surgery Monday night at Deaconess Hospital after he was shot near his Linn Street home, Cincinnati police said.

The victim, Carlos Neal of 1621 Linn St., was shot in the stomach shortly before 6:15 p.m. in the 1500 block of Linn Street. When uniformed police arrived at the scene, Mr. Neal had been taken to Deaconess Hospital for treatment, police said.

Officials at Deaconess said late Monday that they were not releasing the condition of Mr. Neal.

Police at the scene were searching for a black male, wearing blue jeans and a black and gold jacket. The suspect, 5-feet-8 to 5-feet-10-inches tall, was last seen running behind a Walgreens Drug Store in the 1500 block of Linn Street, toward Linn and Liberty streets.

The investigation is continuing. Anyone with information about this shooting is urged to call the Cincinnati Police Division's Criminal Investigation Section at 352-3542 or Crime Stoppers at 352-3040.

Police: Man arrested had sawed-off shotgun
HARRISON  A local man armed with a gun was arrested and will be charged after he made suicidal statements to his parents Monday morning, police said.

Harrison police said the Hamilton County Police Association SWAT team was called to the Miller Court home of Robert C. Wagner to investigate a report of a man with a gun.

Police said Mr. Wagner had a sawed-off shotgun when they arrived at the home about 1:40 a.m. Monday. Mr. Wagner was arrested at 5 a.m. No one was injured.

Harrison police said Mr. Wagner will be charged in connection with the incident.

Mayor's Night In canceled until new year
Cincinnati Mayor Roxanne Qualls is canceling Mayor's Night In sessions today and Dec. 29 because of the holiday season.

The sessions, which allow Cincinnatians to visit her City Hall office at 801 Plum St. to discuss neighborhood problems, will resume Jan. 5.

Metro riders can call winter weather hot line
As the Tristate braces for its first winter weather, Metro riders can call the Winter Weather Hotline at 632-7538 for up-to-the-minute detour information.

The recorded information is available 24 hours a day and is updated as street conditions change.

Campaign is reminder to recycle cardboard
Keep Cincinnati Beautiful has joined the annual, national effort to promote recycling of corrugated cardboard from Dec. 26 through Jan. 9.

Corrugated cardboard boxes can be recycled into new corrugated cardboard for new boxes.

You know it's corrugated cardboard if there is a wavy layer glued between two or more sheets of flat paper. For Cincinnati curbside recycling, flatten, cut and tie boxes into 2-by-2-foot bundles.